Herzog speaks with Netanyahu, Lapid, Gantz, calls for immediate talks on overhaul

Police and a protester near the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv, March 27, 2023. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Police make 53 arrests in total today as a result of anti-government protests and pro-overhaul demonstrations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and elsewhere.

Most of the arrests, 33, were made in Tel Aviv where anti-overhaul protesters attempted multiple times to breach police barriers and make their way onto the Ayalon Highway. Officers used water cannons and stun grenades to disperse protesters there.

In Jerusalem, right-wing protesters attacked an Arab taxi driver, shouted hateful chants at another driver, and attempted to surround an Arab youth who was walking by one area of the protest and was pulled to safety.

Police say an investigation was opened into the attack on the cab driver.

12:17 am

Hundreds of Israelis, US Jews protest at Israeli consulate in New York

By Luke Tress

Israelis and American Jews protest against the judicial overhaul across from the Israeli consulate in New York, March 27, 2023.(Luke Tress)

Hundreds of Israelis and American Jews protest against the judicial overhaul outside the Israeli consulate in New York City.

The protesters gather in the rain, draped in Israeli flags and carrying signs in English and Hebrew saying, “Opposition is necessary,” “dictatorship ahead,” and “we still haven’t lost our hope,” an homage to the national anthem.

The demonstrators are more focused on Palestinian rights and the occupation than the protest movement in Israel.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, the director of T’ruah, says the rally is “in solidarity with the Israelis who have been on the street for three months including in the middle of the night last night.”

“We are not accepting pathetic attempts at compromise,” she says.

“We are standing our ground and we are not going to stop protesting” until the legislation is halted for good, she says.

She reads a statement sent in from US Representative Jerry Nadler: “The unprecedented protest taking place across Israel has shown the world that the Israeli people will not remain silent.”

Nadler says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu freezing the legislation is a “welcome development,” but that “it is clear that Israel remains at an inflection point.”

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is Jewish, calls the protest movement a “pivotal movement.”

“We will not let this government of Netanyahu and [Bezalel] Smotrich and [Itamar] Ben Gvir drive us off that bridge,” he says, in reference to the two far-right ministers in the coalition.

“We’re not going to trade a delay on this vote for Ben Gvir getting his own armed police force,” he says. “We are going to keep organizing and keep demanding a genuine Israeli democracy.”

The protesters chant in Hebrew, “Democracy or revolt,” and “If there is no equality, we’ll block Madison, you came down on the wrong generation,” a play on the Tel Aviv chant to close the Avalon Highway.

The rally is held a day after Israel’s consul general in New York, Asaf Zamir, quit his position in protest.

12:11 am

Right-wing protesters in Jerusalem attack Arab passersby

The taxi cab belonging to an Arab driver who was attacked on March 27, 2023, in Jerusalem by right-wing protesters called to the capital to rally in favor of the judicial overhaul. (Israel Police)

Right-wing protesters in Jerusalem attack a number of Arab passersby including a taxi driver near a gas station and a youth walking by the protest near Yitzhak Ben Zvi Boulevard in the capital.

Police say the taxi driver found himself surrounded by protesters who began pelting his vehicle with objects and fists. The driver tried to flee via a nearby gas station, but was then “savagely attacked by the rioters who chased him and caused heavy damage to his car,” police say in a statement tonight.

Video footage shows a large crowd of what looks to be protesters and police running into the gas station area.

נהג מונית ערבי הותקף בתחנת דלק על ידי מפגיני ימין בשדרות בן צבי בירושלים – ונמלט | עדכונים שוטפים >>> https://t.co/6cYRR0SaP4 @SuleimanMas1 pic.twitter.com/JSnvU694kH

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 27, 2023

Police say they opened an investigation into the attack. At least three suspects, whom police say rioted and violated the public order, were arrested in the capital.

Another video from Jerusalem shows right-wing protesters, waving Israeli and Likud flags, blocking an Arab driver’s path and chanting “We hope your village burns.”

בצומת סמוך קבוצת צעירים שהפגינו בעד הרפורמה חסמו רכב ובו נהג ערבי, תוך שהם קוראים לעברו קריאות גנאי ושרים. מפגינים אחרים, גם הם תומכי הרפורמה, רצו לעזור לנהג והזעיקו את השוטרים, שפינו את הכביש ואפשרו לו לעבור@GLZRadio https://t.co/dedkjodK8x pic.twitter.com/R365WLtaM1

— נועה ברנס Noa Baranes (@noabaranes10) March 27, 2023

In yet another incident, according to a short clip aired online, an Arab youth caught up in the right-wing protest can be seen being pulled away to safety by civilians and officers.

One man is heard telling protesters, “Leave him alone, what’s wrong with you?”

מפגיני הימין בשדרות בן צבי בירושלים תקפו באלימות צעיר ערבי, הוא חולץ בידי אזרחים ושוטרים | עדכונים שוטפים >>> https://t.co/6cYRR0SaP4 @AkivaWeisz pic.twitter.com/C0KYG3b5a8

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 27, 2023

12:05 am

Judicial overhaul crisis offers ‘historic constitutional opportunity,’ says leading think tank

The temporary suspension tonight of the coalition’s efforts to overhaul the judicial provides “a historic constitutional opportunity,” says the Israel Democracy Institute, a leading centrist think tank based in Jerusalem.

IDI says in a statement that there is an opportunity for the coalition and the opposition to work on a constitutional framework based on broad consensus.

The framework should include three key principles, says IDI: the entrenchment of basic rights and the commitment to equality in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence; the preservation of the independence of the judicial system and the professional character of judicial appointments; the codification and entrenchment of agreed “rules of the game,” so as to prevent a temporary political majority from altering Israel’s constitutional framework or endangering democratic values.

The think tank urges Israel’s government to “pledge that they will henceforth promote constitutional arrangements only on the basis of consensus.”

“Any attempt to implement such changes unilaterally will endanger the solidarity, security and economic prosperity of all Israelis,” it says.

11:29 pm

Right-wing protesters light fires, block main road in Jerusalem

Right-wing protesters rallying in favor of the Netanyahu government’s push to dramatically overhaul the judiciary — since temporarily suspended — are blocking Yitzhak Ben Zvi Boulevard in Jerusalem.

Footage by the Kan public broadcaster shows protesters setting a fire on the road and adding items like car tires.

ההפגנה סמוך לגן סאקר בירושלים: המוחים, ביניהם פעילי "לה פמיליה", שורפים פחים וחוסמים את שדרות בן צבי | עדכונים שוטפים >>> https://t.co/6cYRR0SaP4 @AkivaWeisz pic.twitter.com/o588OVoiqC

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 27, 2023

Chants of “Death to Arabs” can be heard in the background of the video.

11:11 pm

Gantz speaks with Netanyahu, welcomes overhaul pause, asks him to keep Gallant as defense minister

National Unity leader Benny Gantz, a member of the opposition, speaks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to welcome his move to pause the legislative push to overhaul the judiciary, his office says.

During their conversation, Gantz asks Netanyahu to reconsider the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who on Saturday called to suspend the judicial overhaul and reach a compromise. Netanyahu announced last night that he would remove Gallant as defense minister, a move that prompted mass, spontaneous demonstrations nationwide.

Gantz penned a letter yesterday to coalition members urging them to halt the legislation to allow for negotiations toward a compromise that will have broad public buy-in.

11:02 pm

Right-wing protesters block roads in Jerusalem, police use stun grenades in Tel Aviv

Police officers are trying to disperse right-wing protesters blocking Menachem Begin Boulevard in Jerusalem.

מפגיני ימין חוסמים את דרך בגין בירושלים | עדכונים שוטפים >>> https://t.co/6cYRR0SaP4 @SuleimanMas1 pic.twitter.com/TCtAq74CXc

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) March 27, 2023

Channel 13 reports that their team was attacked by the pro-overhaul demonstrators and a cameraman was beaten.

In Tel Aviv, police are using stun grenades to dissuade anti-government protesters from breaching barriers to reach the Ayalon Highway.

10:50 pm

Herzog speaks with Netanyahu, Lapid and Gantz, calls to start immediate negotiations

President Isaac Herzog speaks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and opposition leader Yair Lapid, and also Benny Gantz tonight. His office says in a statement that he urged them to start an “immediate negotiation process” under the auspices of the President’s Office to reach a broad agreement on the judicial overhaul.

The president requests that each side establish negotiation teams to begin talks.

10:49 pm

Police unleash water cannons at Tel Aviv protests

Police deploy water cannons in Tel Aviv as anti-government protesters attempt to breach barriers to make their way onto the Ayalon Highway as part of the protests against the judicial overhaul.

מחלף השלום תל אביב, פיזור מפגינים. pic.twitter.com/b1f0iXycLp

— Asslan Khalil (@KhalilAsslan) March 27, 2023

At least five protesters are arrested, as scuffles break out with police.

10:31 pm

Pro-overhaul protesters scuffle with police in Jerusalem

Some 200 right-wing, pro-overhaul protesters are scuffling with police officers in Jerusalem.

The protesters are trying to make their way from Itzhak Ben Zvi Boulevard in the capital to the Prime Minister’s Residence on Azza (Gaza) Street, as police work to stop them, according to Hebrew-media reports.

Police say they are working to prevent acts of violence against anti-government protesters and members of the media, Ynet reports.

10:30 pm

Former PM Naftali Bennett meets with UAE leader in Abu Dhabi

Former prime minister Naftali Bennett is meeting with United Arab Emirates leader Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi tonight.

The two are holding talks on strengthening Israel-UAE ties, Ynet reports. Bennett has been meeting with several Emirati officials throughout the day.

Earlier this month, Israeli officials said the UAE canceled a planned visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, due to concerns that his conduct during the visit could increase regional tensions with Iran, the Walla new site reported.

The Prime Minister’s Office said the visit was canceled for logistical reasons.

10:14 pm

Protesters in Tel Aviv try breach police barriers to reach Ayalon Highway

Anti-government protesters in Tel Aviv are trying to break through police barriers to reach the Ayalon Highway, in another attempt to block the main throughway as they have done in recent demonstrations.

Channel 13 footage shows police arresting one protester who managed to scale the barrier. Mounted police are also shown charging at protesters as officers try to keep protesters from the highway.

10:02 pm

Yariv Levin quoted telling coalition colleagues: ‘We need to be smart. We’ll pass the legislation later on’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Justice Minister Yariv Levin, in the Knesset on February 22, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

Channel 12 quotes from what it says were coalition leaders’ discussions with Prime Minister Netanyahu at a meeting this morning, after the prime minister had apparently told them he intended to pause the legislation:

Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich: “I also didn’t want to halt [the overhaul legislation], but I think we have to leave [this meeting] with the statement that keeping the government together is more important than the legislation.”

Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben Gvir: “We are letting the anarchists win.”

Smotrich: “We’re not letting them win. We’ll only halt the legislation for a few months.”

Ben Gvir: “If we don’t pass this legislation, we have no interest in this government; it’s not right-wing.”

Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the architect of the overhaul legislation: “You’re all correct, but we need to be smart. We’ll pass the legislation later on, but not now. We have people in Likud who are opposed; [I’m] not sure that we’d have 61 [votes in the 120-seat Knesset]. The people want reform, and they will get it, but we also have to look at what’s going on outside [with the anti-overhaul protests, etc.]; it can’t be ignored.”

10:00 pm

Netanyahu to speak at US-hosted democracy summit

By Jacob Magid

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is slated to make a virtual appearance at the US State Department’s Democracy Summit later this week, two US officials tell The Times of Israel.

Israel is one of the roughly 120 countries invited to participate in the three-day confab that begins tomorrow. Netanyahu is slated to send a pre-recorded speech and participate in a panel on the economic benefits of democratic rule, a US official says, confirming a report in the Haaretz daily.

At a briefing earlier today, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was peppered with questions about whether the US would be rescinding its invitation to Netanyahu, given his government’s efforts to overhaul the judiciary.

Kirby said he did not have anything to share on the matter.

While Democratic-backsliding counties like Turkey and Hungary did not receive invitations, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Brazil did and will have representatives appearing alongside Netanyahu.

9:58 pm

Shas leader Aryeh Deri says party stands by Netanyahu

Shas leader Aryeh Deri, a key member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, says the premier “made a difficult decision this evening to suspend the justified reform legislation in order to give another opportunity for real talks and to reach broad agreements.”

“I and all the members of the Shas party support the prime minister and stand by him. I call again to the leaders of the opposition: take advantage of our outstretched hand. Do it for all the citizens of Israel. Our strength is our unity.”

9:49 pm

Shikma Bressler: Protests will continue; coalition still intends ‘to enact Netanyahu’s dictatorship’

Shikma Bressler addresses a protest against the government's planned judicial overhaul, in Tel Aviv on March 25, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Dr. Shikma Bressler, one of the main leaders of the protest movement, says Netanyahu and his coalition colleagues are clearly determined to press ahead with their “dictatorship laws” in the next Knesset session, a month from now.

“The statements of the prime minister and his extremist partners are an admission of their intention to bring the dictatorship laws back to the table in the next parliamentary session, harming the economy and the security of the country,” she says.

“As long as the legislation continues and is not shelved, we will be on the streets.”

She calls Netanyahu’s announcement “just an attempt to weaken the protests in order to enact Netanyahu’s dictatorship. Now is not the time to reduce the pressure, but to increase it.”

A statement issued by the various groups organizing the protests also notes that the protests will continue.

“Netanyahu is not trustworthy,” they say. “He has proved to us that he cannot be relied upon. Therefore, so long as he’s only talking, and not acting, the protests continue. The protests will stop when we have established that there is a complete halt to the legislation.”

They say that they have always stressed that they support stopping the current legislation and reaching wide agreement on judicial reform via dialogue. “If we see that this is indeed happening, the protests will act accordingly.”

Channel 12 reports that tomorrow’s planned “Day of Paralysis” will not go ahead, but there will be “focused protests” nationwide and apparently outside ministers’ homes. This will be repeated for the rest of the week.

On Saturday night, there will again be mass protests on Tel Aviv’s Kaplan Street and nationwide, and these will continue for the foreseeable future “until there is real change.”

9:44 pm

White House says ‘we welcome’ pause on judicial overhaul

By ToI Staff and AFP

The White House welcomes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s move to pause controversial plans to overhaul the judiciary

“We welcome this announcement as an opportunity to create additional time and space for compromise,” Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre says. “A compromise is precisely what we have been calling for….”

“Democratic societies are strengthened by checks and balances, and fundamental changes to a democratic system should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support,” she says.

9:35 pm

Britain praises overhaul delay, calling on sides to reach ‘long-term compromise’

By Lazar Berman

The United Kingdom welcomes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to push off his government’s judicial overhaul push.

“It is vital that the shared democratic values that underpin the relationship are upheld,” says Foreign Secretary James Cleverly in a statement, “and a robust system of checks and balances are upheld.”

“We urge all parties to find common ground and seek a long-term compromise to this sensitive issue.”

9:33 pm

Herzog hails overhaul delay, says he’s ready to host ‘genuine and serious talks’

President Isaac Herzog says the decision to delay the overhaul push is “the right thing,” urging “genuine, serious, and responsible talks that will urgently calm the spirits and lower the flames.”

Cautioning against violence as part of mass protests, Herzog says his official residence is “open to become a space of dialogue and development of as wide agreements as possible, to extricate our beloved Israel from the deep crisis we’re in.”

9:31 pm

Polls show Likud, current coalition crashing, Gantz soaring as public seeks consensus

Yair Lapid (L), Benny Gantz (C) and Benjamin Netanyahu (R) (Flash90)

A pair of TV opinion polls show that, as of the beginning of this week with the major anti-government protests — before the judicial overhaul was delayed — the current coalition of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox parties is crashing in support, Benny Gantz’s centrist National Unity gaining around a whopping 10 Knesset seats from its current 12, largely at the expense of the ruling Likud.

The surveys by Channel 12 news and the Kan public broadcaster suggest a greater desire for consensus, boosting the pragmatic Gantz and signaling a will among the public for softened rhetoric and broader agreement, while bringing the current coalition parties down from their current combined count of 64 down to 53 or 54.

Following are the results of the Channel 12 poll, conducted by the Midgam institute:

Likud 25
National Unity 23
Yesh Atid 22
Religious Zionism-Otzma Yehudit 12
Shas 10
United Torah Judaism 7
Yisrael Beytenu 6
Meretz 5
Hadash-Ta’al 5
Ra’am 5
Labor 0 — 3.1% of votes, below the 3.25% threshold
Balad 0 (2.1%)

The current coalition parties (Likud, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, Shas and United Torah Judaism) get 54, far from the 61 majority needed for a coalition.

The opposition bloc that forms what was the previous coalition (National Unity, Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beytenu, Meretz, Ra’am, Labor) gets 61 seats, while the non-aligned Hadash-Ta’al gets the remaining 5.

The results of the Kan poll, conducted by Kantar Insights:

Likud 25
Yesh Atid 22
National Unity 21
Religious Zionism-Otzma Yehudit 11
Shas 10
United Torah Judaism 7
Ra’am 6
Yisrael Beytenu 5
Hadash-Ta’al 5
Meretz 4
Labor 4
Balad 0

The current coalition parties get 53, while the previous coalition bloc gets 62 seats and Hadash-Ta’al gets 5.

8:57 pm

Gallant welcomes delay of overhaul, after PM ousted him for urging the same step

By Emanuel Fabian

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-immigrant absorption minister Yoav Gallant hold a press conference at the Knesset, January 9, 2019. (Noam Revkin Fenton/ Flash90/ File)

Ousted Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says he welcomes the decision to delay the judicial overhaul legislation in order to hold talks with its opponents, his office says in a brief statement.

The statement does not mention Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who announced the legislation would be paused.

Netanyahu in his speech also did not explicitly mention Gallant, whom he fired yesterday for calling to pause the overhaul.

Gallant is still technically the defense minister, as he has not received an official letter notifying him of his dismissal.

8:49 pm

Lapid says ready to enter talks for constitution, but adds PM might be ‘bluffing’

Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid addresses a protest outside the Knesset against the government's planned judicial overhaul, on March 27, 2023. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid expresses doubt about the genuineness of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s delay of the judicial overhaul legislation, saying dialogue for an agreed reform must end with a constitution.

“If the legislation really does stop, genuinely and totally, we are ready to start genuine dialogue at the President’s Residence,” Lapid says.

“We don’t need to put a bandage over the injuries, but to treat them properly,” he says. “We need to sit together and write the Israeli constitution based on the values of the Declaration of Independence. We need to let the president determine a mechanism for the dialogue and trust him to be a fair mediator.”

“We‘ve had bad experience in the past and so first, we’ll make sure that there’s no tricks or bluffing here. We heard with concern yesterday the reports that Netanyahu told the people close to him that he isn’t really stopping, just trying to calm the situation,” Lapid adds.

“If he tries anything, he’ll find hundreds of thousands of patriotic Israelis who are committed to fighting for our democracy standing opposite him, committed to be the fortification that protects the country and its democracy.

“On the other hand, if the government engages in a real and fair dialogue we can come out of this moment of crisis — stronger and more united — and we can turn this into a defining moment in our ability to live together.”

8:41 pm

‘Better late than never’: Gantz praises overhaul pause, says he’ll enter genuine dialogue

Leader of the National Unity Party MK Benny Gantz speaks to the media at the Knesset, on March 27, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

National Unity party chief Benny Gantz welcomes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to delay the judicial overhaul legislation, saying: “Better late than never.”

Speaking shortly after Netanyahu’s announcement, Gantz says he will enter negotiations at the President’s Residence “with an open heart, not to defeat, but to agree.”

Gantz promises to hear the concerns of the overhaul’s proponents and says he aims to “improve governability and checks and balances” and will not compromise on basic democratic foundations and on a comprehensive quasi-constitutional Basic Law laying down clear authorities and limits on legislation and striking it down

Gantz denounces cynical politicians allegedly trying to incite violence between the different parts of society, saying: “No to civil war, no to divisions, yes to agreement and dialogue.”

He addresses supporters of the legislation: “You’re my brothers. I intend to act as a leader who sees everyone. We didn’t have to reach this moment. I oppose this government and will continue, but on national security will support every correct move with a whole heart.

“I don’t want to defeat you. I want us to live together.”

8:27 pm

Histadrut labor union, local councils call off mass strikes; protesters say rallies continue

Both the Histadrut labor union and the local council umbrella group call off their sweeping protests planned for tomorrow, in the wake of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that he is delaying the judicial overhaul legislative push.

However, organizers of anti-overhaul protests immediately say they will keep the demonstrations going until the plan is scrapped entirely.

8:22 pm

Netanyahu says he’s delaying legal overhaul push to enable dialogue, avoid ‘civil war’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to the nation, March 27, 2023. (GPO Screenshot)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces he is delaying his government’s divisive judicial overhaul push, following months of mass protests that reached their climax this week.

In a televised statement, Netanyahu says he is aware of the increased tensions in Israeli society and the will to solve them, but claims there is an “extremist minority” that is “tearing Israel apart,” threatening public figures and pushing for civil war.

Netanyahu demands a halt to the mounting refusals to serve in the IDF’s reserve forces. “Israel cannot exist without the IDF, and the IDF cannot exist with refusals to serve.” Refusals, he says, spell “the end of the state.”

He says he is “not willing to tear the country apart” and “there must not be civil war,” but “we are at the start of a crisis that endangers our basic unity” and “this crisis requires us all to act responsibly.”

The premier says he has repeatedly called for dialogue on the overhaul plan, and that he yesterday read a letter from National Unity party leader Benny Gantz “in which he promises to enter in good faith into a dialogue on all the issues. I know there are others who support that approach,” he says. “I stretch out my hand to them.”

He says “most” of his coalition allies support the move.

“When there’s an option to avoid civil war through dialogue, I as prime minister take a time-out for dialogue,” he says.

“Out of national responsibility,” he specifies, he is delaying the final readings of a divisive judicial appointments bill — under which the coalition would take almost complete control of the appointment of Israel’s judges — until the next Knesset session a month from now.

“We insist on the need to make the necessary corrections to the judicial system,” but this is “a chance to achieve this via dialogue.” To that end, “I have decided to suspend the second and third readings in this Knesset session” of the judicial selection bill “to give time for broad agreement” before moving ahead with the legislation in the next Knesset session.

He stresses that the overhaul will end up passing “in one form or another.” The “lost balance” between the branches of government will be restored, and individual rights will be strengthened, he says.

Turning to his supporters in what he calls the “national camp,” he notes that “we have the majority” to pass the legislation, “and huge support among the people.”

He mentions the large pro-overhaul demonstration being held nearby, alongside huge crowds of anti-government protesters. “I am proud of you, you are not second-class citizens,” he says. “You came out into the streets to make your voices heard,” he adds, calling the right-wing protest “spontaneous, not organized, not financed, not encouraged by the media.” He urges: “Continue to act responsibly and don’t be dragged into any provocation.”

“We won’t give up on the path we have fought for,” he says. “We will give a chance for wide agreement.”

He concludes by promising that the country will now together mark the forthcoming Passover, Remembrance Day and Independence Day, “for we all have the same destiny and the same purpose — to ensure eternal Israel.”

He makes no mention of his announcement last night that he was firing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, after Gallant warned publicly that the rift over the overhaul legislation has become a tangible threat to national security.

7:49 pm

Tens of thousands attend pro-overhaul rally; Ohana urges protesters to lower the flames

Tens of thousands of government supporters are protesting in Jerusalem against the expected halt of the judicial overhaul legislation.

“Our voice isn’t less important than a pilot’s,” they chant, as well as, “We know exactly who we voted for” and “There’s no way that a faction of elites can bring the country to this point. We are one nation.”

Likud’s Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana addresses the rally and asks the masses to lower the flames and avoid violence.

“We are in a sensitive, stormy and delicate period,” Ohana says. “There are no enemies. There is one nation that is divided over our path and is hoping for better days. Let’s fulfill this hope, together.”

אלפים בהפגנת הימין בירושלים. קרדיט: רגבים pic.twitter.com/HVlXHZAGce

— עטרה גרמן Atara German (@ataragerman1) March 27, 2023

7:34 pm

Rothman says pausing overhaul would be a ‘mistake,’ hails right-wing rally

Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, who has spearheaded the judicial overhaul push, tells Channel 12 news that halting it is “a mistake.”

He claims Ben Gurion Airport is working, even though 28 departing flights were canceled and many others were disrupted.

Rothman also notes that “most” local councils are not on strike, as declared by an umbrella group of local authorities.

He hails the pro-overhaul rally being held in Jerusalem, saying vast crowds are gathering to “protest the trampling of their vote.”

7:29 pm

Biden not concerned upheaval in Israel will descend into civil war, says official

By Jacob Magid

US President Joe Biden is not concerned that the current uproar in Israel will deteriorate into a civil war, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby says.

Kirby is asked the question during a briefing with reporters.

He says the protests over the past several months have demonstrated Israel’s strong democratic foundations.

Kirby says the legislation currently being advanced by the coalition “flies in the face of the whole idea of checks and balances.”

7:26 pm

Critics slam Netanyahu’s alleged OK for national guard: ‘Private Ben Gvir militia’

Opposition and other figures slam the alleged agreement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form a “national guard” to fight crime, a demand by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir as a condition for the latter’s agreement to delay the judicial overhaul plan.

Labor MK Gilad Kariv comments on Ben Gvir’s claim that the guard will be under his own ministry: “The national guard must be under the police rather than under the control of [far-right group] Lehava and the rest of the Kahanists” — a reference to followers of extremist anti-Arab rabbi Meir Kahane.

Kariv urges the Shin Bet security service to oppose forming “Ben Gvir law-approved militia.”

Former police chief Moshe Karadi says Ben Gvir “has formed a private militia for his political needs. He’s dismantling Israeli democracy.

“The Ben Gvir law is dangerous and is a distinct characteristic of turning Israel into a dictatorship.”

7:18 pm

Netanyahu to address the nation at 8:05 p.m.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says the premier will deliver a statement at 8:05 p.m.

The prime minister has been expected since the morning to announce he is pausing the government’s judicial overhaul, but has delayed it repeatedly to make sure his coalition does not fall apart as a consequence.

7:12 pm

State budget passes first Knesset plenum reading; Gallant stays away from vote

The state budget for 2023 and 2024 passes its first Knesset plenum reading, out of three.

Ousted Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stays away from the plenum hall during the vote.

7:10 pm

Right-wing protesters recall Gaza Disengagement as reason legal overhaul is needed

A group of 13-year-old girls tie orange ribbons around their heads, the symbol used in 2005 by opponents of the Disengagement Plan, which saw the evacuation of all settlements in the Gaza Strip and several in the northern West Bank.

While Avigayil and her friends were not yet born during the 2005 unilateral withdrawal, she says the Disengagement is “big part of our lives” and part of why her family supports the current government’s judicial overhaul plan.

Many pro-settlement Israelis blame the High Court of Justice for taking a heavy hand with anti-Disengagement protesters and upholding decisions to uproot the communities, now largely in Palestinian hands.

Alongside chanting “the people want judicial reform,” groups also shout: “Where were you in Gush Katif,” recalling Israel’s settlement bloc in Gaza. They sing the tune that anti-overhaul protesters used to denounce a settlement rampage last month in the Palestinian West Bank town of Huwara following a deadly Palestinian terror attack there.

6:40 pm

‘They’re stealing the election from us’: Thousands of overhaul backers rally in Jerusalem

Supporters of the government's planned judicial overhaul rally in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023. (Carrie Keller-Lynn/Times of Israel)

With signs reading “second class citizen” and “they’re stealing the election from us,” thousands of pro-judicial shakeup demonstrators gather on Jerusalem’s Rabin Street.

In a sea of Israeli flags, it’s hard to pick apart pro- from anti-overhaul demonstrators, but the sides are gently guided by police into blocking opposite sides of the thoroughfare.

Spontaneous, but often similar, conversations erupt between protesters on both sides of the divide, as each tries to make its case.

“You need to remember diversity is the answer to everything,” one supporter of judicial change explains to an anti-overhaul demonstrator, arguing in favor of the coalition’s push to diversify the High Court, which critics say will politicize it.

“We keep electing right-wing, but getting left-wing decisions,” he adds, echoing a common refrain on the right.

His conversation partner endeavors to explain that rights are best protected by checks and balances, rather than periodically swapping power among political majorities.

Supporters of the government’s planned judicial overhaul rally in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023. (Carrie Keller-Lynn/Times of Israel)

6:17 pm

Ben Gvir agrees to delay overhaul, let Netanyahu try to pass it via dialogue

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir in the Knesset in Jerusalem on March 6, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The far-right Otzma Yehudit party announces that leader Itamar Ben Gvir has agreed to give the government an extension on advancing the judicial overhaul until the next Knesset session, which starts in early May, allowing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu time to try to advance the plan through negotiations, apparently with opposition figures.

In exchange, the party says Netanyahu has agreed that the formation of a civil “national guard” sought by Ben Gvir to boost public safety will be approved in the upcoming cabinet meeting.

The new guard will be placed under Ben Gvir’s National Security Ministry, the statement says, attaching a written promise by the premier.

Ben Gvir had been threatening to quit the government, endangering the coalition, if Netanyahu pauses the overhaul, as the prime minister is expected to do.

5:46 pm

Shin Bet says Islamic Jihad member behind West Bank shooting has been arrested

By Emanuel Fabian

The Shin Bet security agency says a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group has been arrested for carrying out a shooting attack against an Israeli truck driver near the West Bank town of Shufa on Thursday.

According to the Shin Bet, Bahaa Yousef, 27, was detained yesterday while driving in the West Bank. The gun he allegedly used in the attack was seized.

The agency says Yousef sought to carry out further attacks.

There were no injuries in the Thursday shooting.

5:44 pm

Netanyahu arrives in Knesset; has been delaying speech on fate of overhaul for more than 7 hours

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Knesset after lengthy discussions at the nearby Prime Minister’s Office.

The premier has been promising an announcement that he is pausing his government’s judicial overhaul push for more than seven hours, with some saying he’s waiting for the start of a right-wing rally in favor of the overhaul.

Meanwhile, the Knesset plenum is preparing to hold a vote on the state budget.

5:39 pm

‘You’re whores’: Pro-overhaul protesters berate demonstrators against government plan

Protesters supporting the government's judicial overhaul at Sacher Park in Jerusalem on March 27, 2023. (Carrie Keller-Lynn/Times of Israel)

As pro-judicial shakeup protesters are planned to arrive at Jerusalem’s Sacher Park within the hour, anti-overhaul protesters march by the park, with some sitting there to claim space.

Nearly a hundred pro-reform protesters are gathering to counter-protest, chanting “the people want a judicial reform.”

Among them are some young men who yell at the anti-overhaul protesters: “You’re whores, what kind of equality of rights are you talking about, leftist whores!”

“We’ll fuck you up,” they shout.

Protesters in favor of the government’s judicial overhaul heckle anti-shakeup demonstrators as “leftist whores.”

“Get brain cancer,” another says to a female protester who asked why she is a “whore” pic.twitter.com/DqqMp7nnSn

— Carrie Keller-Lynn (@cjkeller8) March 27, 2023

עימותים אלימים בין מפגינים בירושלים | תיעוד pic.twitter.com/eY4HaMhUYs

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) March 27, 2023

Protesters against the government’s judicial overhaul march near Sacher Park in Jerusalem on March 27, 2023. (Carrie Keller-Lynn/Times of Israel)

5:28 pm

Opposition MK: Netanyahu ‘playing games with human lives’ by delaying overhaul pause

Yisrael Beytenu MK Yulia Malinovsky chairs a meeting of the Knesset Religious Services Committee on October 27, 2021. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

An opposition lawmaker accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of purposefully delaying his announcement on the suspension of the judicial overhaul legislation, waiting for a right-wing demonstration in favor of the plan.

“The clash between the opponents and supporters of the revolution could end with very difficult sights,” says Yisrael Beytenu MK Yulia Malinovsky.

“The prime minister is playing games with human lives,” she adds. “If, God forbid, something happens, it will be on Netanyahu’s head and conscience. Every minute in which he delays his announcement, the temperatures are rising.”

5:17 pm

Doctors attend Jerusalem anti-overhaul rally, warning of plan’s health fallout

By Renee Ghert-Zand

A sign held by a mental health professional in a protest against the government's planned judicial overhaul outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023. (Renee Ghert-Zand)

Striking physicians and other medical professionals make their way to the mass protest against the government’s judicial overhaul outside the Knesset in Jerusalem. They feel that the moment calls for them to raise their voices in the capital rather than in other cities. Spotted among the throngs, they wear red or purple T-shirts with logos identifying them as doctors and mental health professionals.

Nadav, a psychiatrist at a Netanya hospital, says he is at the protest to defend democracy for the sake of the Israeli healthcare system.

“In non-democratic states, the public healthcare system does not work as it does in Israel. Basic rights like the equality of patients’ access to care could be hurt. I treat people with addictions and from the margins of society. They could lose their protections,” he says.

Analu is a clinical psychologist in Tel Aviv. “Dictatorship is ruining our soul,” she says.

She is already witnessing increased levels of anxiety, depression, symptoms of gaslighting, and post-traumatic stress disorder among her patients. She fears her workload will get heavier should the government not reverse course.

“One needs democracy to feel happiness, reach our potential and have a sense of agency,” she says.

Pediatric oncologist Shulamit works at Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva. She arrives with other members of the physician group known as the White Coats. For her, protesting as a doctor and as a person are one and the same.

“I’ve been to protests in other cities, but I wanted to be outside the Knesset today as the government announces its decisions,” she says.

5:08 pm

Report: Netanyahu offered to revoke Gallant dismissal if he quits as MK; he said no

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, left, speaks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a vote in the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, February 15, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly offered to cancel the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, on the condition that he resign his Knesset post in accordance with the so-called Norwegian law, which allows ministers to resign as lawmakers to enable the next person on the party slate to enter the parliament.

The suggestion, reported by the Kan public broadcaster, is aimed at preserving as many of the coalition’s votes in the plenum as possible.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset on the afternoon of March 27, 2023 (Knesset channel screenshot)

The report says Gallant rejected the proposal outright and no breakthrough has been made yet.

5:02 pm

Police chief arrives near Knesset ahead of potential clashes between rival protesters

Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai arrives for a tour near the Knesset, an hour before a right-wing rally in support of the government’s judicial overhaul is planned to start near the location of a massive anti-government protest, and amid preparations for the possibility of violence.

Joining Shabtai is Jerusalem District Commander Danny Levy, and they are meeting police and Border Police troops deployed in the area.

Hebrew media estimates that there are now over 100,000 people attending the anti-overhaul rally.

4:38 pm

Protesters block main entrance to Jerusalem; 3 demonstrators arrested in capital

Police say three people have been arrested so far during anti-overhaul demonstrations in Jerusalem, for allegedly attacking officers.

In addition to many roads near the Knesset that have been blocked by police, protesters have now blocked the Chord Bridge junction, the main entrance to the capital.

Cops are attempting to disperse them.

4:34 pm

High Court throws out petition urging it to force Netanyahu to recuse himself

The High Court of Justice rejects outright a petition requesting that it order Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to immediately recuse himself, saying that not all legal avenues have been exhausted to justify a petition to the court.

The Israel Democracy Watch organization petitioned the High Court yesterday, asking for a court order against Netanyahu, following the prime minister’s announcement that he has started to directly engage with the judicial overhaul legislation his government has advanced.

The petition notes that the court has said Netanyahu is bound by a conflict of interest agreement barring him from dealing with the radical reform package due to his criminal corruption trials.

The court scolds Israel Democracy Watch for failing to turn either to Netanyahu himself or to the attorney general, and instead requesting the court order on the next working day after the premier’s announcement.

The High Court therefore dismisses the petition outright and does not even request responses from Netanyahu or the attorney general.

4:22 pm

Smotrich says overhaul must not be paused: ‘We won’t let the state be stolen from us’

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich presents economic and budget plans for 2023-2024, February 28, 2023. (Courtesy)

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich says the government must not freeze its push to revamp the justice system, saying he’ll attend a right-wing rally in Jerusalem and urging supporters to come.

“Come to Jerusalem,” Smotrich says in a statement. “We must not stop the reform aimed at fixing the justice system and Israeli democracy. We must not surrender to violence, anarchy, military service refusals and wild strikes.

“We are the majority, let’s make our voice heard. We won’t let our vote and the state be stolen from us.”

4:20 pm

Organizers of pro-overhaul rally arrange shuttles from across country to Jerusalem

As police estimate that 80,000 people have gathered outside the Knesset so far to protest the government’s judicial overhaul, a right-wing counter-protest planned for 6 p.m. is gaining steam.

Organizers of the pro-coalition rally have arranged shuttles to Jerusalem from across the country, including from numerous settlements.

Many coalition figures have urged supporters of the overhaul to gather near the Knesset, and some — including the plan’s proponent MK Simcha Rothman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich — say they will attend.

Many thousands of protestors demonstrating right now in Jerusalem, with the protest stretching from the Supreme Court down to the Knesset… pic.twitter.com/RzAC6COsfI

— Jeremy Sharon (@jeremysharon) March 27, 2023

4:10 pm

Otzma Yehudit MK says pausing overhaul would be ‘gift for terrorism’

Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har Melech seen after a meeting of the Religious Zionism party at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 15, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Ultranationalist MK Limor Son Har-Melech of the Otzma Yehudit party says the judicial overhaul legislation must not be stopped, and argues that doing so would be a “gift for terrorism” and would repeat the mistakes of previous right-wing governments.

Son Har-Melech says her far-right party has not agreed to halt the legislative process for the government’s bill to give the coalition complete control over most judicial appointments, which alongside other bills to weaken the judiciary has spawned the mass protest movement against the government.

“Stopping the legislation is a mistake and would be a gift to terrorism, it would be saying ‘it’s worthwhile to be violent, it’s worth it to burn down the country,’” she tells The Times of Israel.

“The legal reform is not the reason for these protests. It’s an excuse to allow the Supreme Court to govern so that right-wing policy which is for the good of the Jewish people cannot be enacted,” she argues.

“We hope the right-wing public will cry out and say that’s enough, we want something else, we deserve it, we are not invisible citizens, you cannot ignore us because of a small group of people who sadly are inside every framework of power in the state and lack all responsibility.”

Otzma Yehudit leader Itamar Ben Gvir has reportedly threatened to quit the government if the legislation is halted, as is widely expected.

4:04 pm

IDF chief says protests must stay out of military amid unprecedented threats

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi speaks at a military ceremony for reservist troops at Tel Aviv University, March 12, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi issues a public letter addressed to all active and reserve servicemen, saying that Israel “has never known such days of external threats combining with an internal storm.”

“This is a time for responsibility,” he writes amid huge nationwide protests following the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The latter was axed over his warning that the growing reservist refusals in protest of the government’s planned judicial overhaul presented a national security threat that calls for stopping the legislation.

“Our enemies must know that we are standing guard and nobody is deserting,” Halevi says. “I am responsible that every mission given to you will be aimed at defending the security of Israel and its citizens, and will be in accordance with IDF values.”

He says the place for protest actions is in the public sphere and not in the military.

3:57 pm

Netanyahu said to update US he will pause overhaul; mulls revoking Gallant’s firing

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been delaying his announcement that the judicial overhaul legislation for hours now, as his office reportedly says it updated the US yesterday about the intention.

Channel 12 news says there are talks aimed at possibly revoking the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant last night, which set off unprecedented nationwide rallies and sweeping strikes today.

3:43 pm

Attendees of planned right-wing rally threaten violence in internal chats

Threats of violence appear in some far-right groups ahead of the planned rally this evening in favor of the government’s judicial overhaul.

Police have said they’ll boost their forces in Jerusalem, anticipating possible violence between participants and the masses of anti-overhaul demonstrators in the area.

“The right must burn the country,” says one message on an internal chat group.

Another says right-wing protesters must use force, “and we have force.”

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and many other coalition MKs have urged supporters to attend the rally near the Knesset at 6 p.m.

3:33 pm

Addressing Jerusalem rally, Gantz stresses need for national unity, dialogue

National Unity party chief Benny Gantz addresses a protest against the government's planned judicial overhaul outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

Benny Gantz, leader of the opposition’s National Unity party, says “this country is not uniform, but we insist that it be unified” under the principles of Israel’s non-legally binding Declaration of Independence.

Speaking to tens of thousands of demonstrators outside of the Knesset, the former defense minister and former IDF chief says that “we are one people” and expresses his wish that the country will not rip further apart, but rather “flourish, together.”

The most outspoken opposition figure about the need to reach a compromise with the coalition on how to remake the judiciary, Gantz calls again to stop the legislation and enter dialogue.

“Whoever doesn’t protect his country won’t have a country, and you are protecting our country,” he says, thanking the protesters for 12 weeks of continuous effort.

3:27 pm

17 top religious Zionist rabbis urge government not to pause overhaul bills

Senior religious Zionist rabbis issue a call for the government not to pause the judicial overhaul legislation.

In a letter, the 17 rabbis says it is “inconceivable that the minority will force its opinion with violence and the creation of anarchy in the streets.”

The signatories include Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and prominent yeshiva heads Shlomo Aviner, Yigal Levinstein and Dov Lior, among others.

משמעותי: בכירי הרבנים של הציונות הדתית יוצאים נגד הקריאות לעצירת החקיקה @GLZRadio pic.twitter.com/hAMwsD8LPu

— יואלי ברים • yoeli brim (@yoeli_brim) March 27, 2023

3:23 pm

As departures from Israel nixed, some airlines cancel incoming flights, stranding travelers

By Lazar Berman

Israeli passengers at London's Luton airport after a Wizz Air flight to Israel is canceled, March 27, 2023. (Yigal Grayeff)

Along with an airport strike grounding departing flights from Ben Gurion Airport, some airlines are canceling incoming flights to Israel of their own accord.

The 1:55 p.m., Wizz Air flight from London’s Luton Airport has been canceled, stranding dozens of Israelis, though an EasyJet flight took off for Tel Aviv less than an hour before that.

Though the passengers are surprisingly calm, some are growing frustrated that Luton’s wifi isn’t working and is keeping them from rebooking flights, passenger Yigal Grayeff tells The Times of Israel. Flights are booked up until Friday, and the first available flight cuts into the Jewish Sabbath day of rest, when observant Jews don’t travel by plane or car.

Some passengers are concerned they won’t have enough time to clean their homes before the Passover holiday next week, and other are trying to get their luggage back.

3:17 pm

Labor party chief says overhaul bills must be nixed, not just delayed, to enable talks

Labor party head MK Merav Michaeli at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on March 20, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Labor leader Merav Michaeli says her party will only enter dialogue with the coalition over constitutional reforms once all the government’s judicial overhaul legislation has been canceled or permanently shelved, not merely paused.

Speaking at a party faction meeting in the Knesset, Michaeli says the judicial appointments legislation — which hands the coalition complete control over the selection of most judges and is now ready for its final votes in the plenum — must be “canceled” and the other legislative initiatives permanently shelved.

“We are one more vote from losing our democracy. One more vote and the system of government in Israel will change,” says Michaeli.

“Despite all the protests, despite the hundreds of thousands of people who took to the streets spontaneously last night, the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee under [MK Simcha] Rothman continued to advance the regime change legislation to its second and third votes,” she continues.

“The regime change laws must be totally shelved, everything prepared until now must be canceled.

“After that, we will be very happy to enter dialogue for a bill of rights for citizens, and for a fitting constitutional framework for the State of Israel to fortify our democracy and ensure it will never again be exposed to the attacks we have seen in front of our eyes.”

3:09 pm

‘We won’t give up’: Tens of thousands outside Knesset as rally kicks into high gear

Protest organizer Shikma Bressler at a rally against the government's planned judicial overhaul outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

Holding an Israeli flag high about her head, key anti-overhaul protest organizer Shikma Bressler leads the crowd of tens of thousands at the Knesset gates in chanting: “We won’t give up!”

Bressler was arrested at a protest last week and was later released.

Former IDF chief of staff Dan Halutz says: “Remember March 27, 2023.”

“It’s the day that you succeeded in stopping Israel from becoming a dictatorship,” he says.

“Our goal is to reach agreements, but not be destroyed,” he says of Israeli society, expressing his wish to continue protests until an agreed-upon judicial reform solution is reached.

As the protest kicks into high gear, a protester faints, interrupting Halutz’s speech as the police rush into the crowd to help.

“The police are our brothers,” some demonstrators start to cheer.

3:05 pm

Israeli diplomatic missions around the world go on strike amid overhaul upheaval

The Histadrut national labor union instructs all government employees to go on strike, including in all of Israel’s diplomatic missions around the world.

A spokesperson for Israel’s Embassy in the United States confirms it has shut down until further notice.

Today (3/27), the Histadrut, Israel's largest labor union, instructed all government employees to go on strike, including Israel’s diplomatic missions around the world. The Embassy of Israel will be closed today until further notice and no consular services will be provided.

— Elad Strohmayer (@EladStr) March 27, 2023

3:00 pm

Driver apparently tries to run over anti-overhaul protesters in Tel Aviv

Footage emerged of a motorist apparently attempting to run over anti-overhaul protesters on Yigal Alon Street in Tel Aviv.

The car then flees, with eyewitnesses saying police didn’t try to stop it.

מפגינים ניסו לחסום את הכביש ברחוב יגאל אלון בת"א – נהג רכב האיץ לעברם pic.twitter.com/szgAkjVQXd

— אדם קוטב | adam kutub (@adam_kutub) March 27, 2023

2:58 pm

2 protesters enter Knesset, shout at minister before being whisked away

Demonstrators who oppose the government's planned judicial overhaul shout at Education Minister Yoav Kisch at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Two protesters enter the Knesset building and shout at Education Minister Yoav Kisch that he should resign.

They are quickly bundled away by security guards.

יוסלה ברגמן: מפגינים שנכנסו לכנסת צעקו לעבר השר קיש. מאבטחי הכנסת הוציאו אותם@DaphnaLiel pic.twitter.com/0l1hSQneLn

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) March 27, 2023

2:55 pm

At anti-overhaul rally, Lapid says ‘we won’t rest until Israel has a constitution’

Opposition leader Yair Lapid addresses a protest against the government's planned judicial overhaul outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

Opposition leader Yair Lapid tells demonstrators gathered outside the Knesset that “no government gave us our rights and no government will take our rights.”

“There is one thing that the extremists in the government didn’t take into account: You,” he tells the tens of thousands of anti-overhaul protesters assembled in Jerusalem.

“We won’t shut up and we won’t rest until the State of Israel has a constitution,” the Yesh Atid leader adds, to crowd cheers of “Constitution! Constitution!”

“If they want us to live here together, they need to respect our values. What’s holy to us is not less important than what’s important to them,” Lapid says, likening democratic values to religious-led lifestyles and pro-settlement priorities.

Meanwhile, former defense minister Moshe Ya’alon tells The Times of Israel that “we’re nearing the end, but it’s not yet enough,” as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce a pause to the government’s highly divisive judicial overhaul push.

Pointing at the Knesset over his shoulder, Ya’alon says that the prime minister “has to bury [the legislation],” adding that “he hasn’t buried it yet.”

2:37 pm

Netanyahu urges protesters from both sides to avoid violence, ahead of rival Jerusalem rallies

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a discussion and a vote in the Knesset, Jerusalem, on March 22, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

In his first public statement since widespread demonstrations erupted last night in reaction to his firing of the defense minister, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urges protesters — from left and right — to “show responsibility and not act violently.”

The tweet appears to address fears of violent clashes this evening in Jerusalem between opponents and supporters of the government’s judicial overhaul, which the premier is expected to put on hold today.

“We are brothers,” Netanyahu adds.

2:30 pm

Netanyahu meets with Ben Gvir; reports say overhaul pause could be delayed to gauge right-wing rally turnout

Four hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to address the nation, he has yet to appear. Reports say he has summoned National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for a meeting amid the latter’s threat to quit the government if the judicial overhaul is halted, as is expected to happen.

Channel 12 news says some in the premier’s circle are advising him to wait to see if a right-wing rally called for 6 p.m. in Jerusalem garners a substantial turnout.

Several Likud MKs have been tweeting a poster for the rally — declaring “State of emergency… They will not steal the elections from us” — to encourage supporters to attend.

The ultra-conservative Har Hamor yeshiva has reportedly declared support for the rally and hundreds of its students are planning to attend.

קולם של 2,304,964 אזרחי ישראל חייב להישמע.
בואו! pic.twitter.com/5YaO5ArnLe

— May Golan מאי גולן (@GolanMay) March 27, 2023

2:21 pm

Police prepare attempt to disperse Tel Aviv protesters from highway

As Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv is blocked by masses of anti-government protesters in several spots, police forces deploy, including horse-mounted officers, in preparation for efforts to disperse them.

Meanwhile in Jerusalem, the main road adjacent to the Knesset is closed by police, forcing protesters there to walk around in order to get close to the parliament.

2:13 pm

Coalition MKs urge overhaul supporters to attend mass rally in Jerusalem

Many coalition lawmakers share posters urging supporters of the government and its judicial revamp effort to attend a demonstration at 6 p.m. (in four hours) in Jerusalem.

The rally is dubbed an “emergency” as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce a pause in the overhaul legislative push.

“The elections won’t be stolen from us,” says the poster, reflecting widespread right-wing sentiment that the overhaul’s opponents, through protests and threats to stop volunteering for reserve military service, have managed to overturn the right’s victory in the November election.

“We must not give up on the people’s choice,” the banner says.

The protest is planned to be held between Sacher Park and the Supreme Court, near the Knesset.

2:06 pm

Police to boost forces as far-right group says it’ll rally in Jerusalem, not Tel Aviv

The far-right La Familia group says that rather than holding a protest in Tel Aviv this evening, it will instead demonstrate in favor of the judicial overhaul outside the Knesset in Jerusalem this evening.

La Familia has a history of violence during its protests and other activities.

Expecting clashes with the thousands of anti-overhaul protesters near the Knesset, police announce they will boost their presence in the area.

2:06 pm

‘It’s all because of Netanyahu’: Protester urges ruling party to replace PM

Ofer Burin, a former colonel in the IDF protesting against the government outside the Knesset, lays the blame for the current societal upheaval squarely at the door of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“This started with some cigars and now we’re defending democracy,” he says in reference to Netanyahu’s trial on charges of illegally receiving gifts from wealthy business tycoons in return for regulatory actions benefiting them.

“That’s the situation. It’s all because of Netanyahu, it’s like [Finance Minister Bezalel] Smotrich said, he’s a ‘lying son of a liar.’ That’s his legacy. The Likud party needs to put him aside and then we can talk. You can’t talk with someone you don’t trust,” says Burin, who lives in Herzliya.

“My parents made aliyah from Argentina. I am happy they are in the grave already so they don’t have to see what’s happening here now, and I am here to make sure we don’t end up with a dictatorship like they had in Argentina for seven years.”

“All the world is a narrow bridge and the most important thing is not to be afraid at all”
Outside the Knesset right now… pic.twitter.com/h6sFgaLu73

— Jeremy Sharon (@jeremysharon) March 27, 2023

1:59 pm

Former Likud voter attends rally outside Knesset to ‘stop this crazy legislation’

Hadar Rozenman attends a protest against the government’s judicial overhaul outside the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023. (Jeremy Sharon/Times of Israel)

Speaking at the anti-government protest outside the Knesset, Hadar Rozenman from Tel Aviv says she has come to the demonstration to “fight for democracy and stop this crazy legislation,” which she says is threatening the foundations of the country.

“These are the first of many small steps at the end of which we’ll lose our democracy and become a dictatorship,” says Rozenman.

“We can already see this happening with all these personal laws which are for Netanyahu’s benefit. That’s what dictators do,” she continues, referring to a bill to allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept large cash gifts to fund his legal bills for his criminal trials, and a bill to allow Shas leader Aryeh Deri to return to the cabinet after the High Court banned him from ministerial office in January due to his prior criminal convictions.

Rozenman rejects labeling the protest movement as left-wing, pointing out that many in the protest movement are from the right, and stating that she had voted for the Likud party until 2019.

“We can have legal reform but you don’t do a reform when you had 12 years to do it and then do a reform in a couple of months in order to get someone appointed minister again after they were convicted of crimes, or to pass the ‘legal gifts’ law,” says Rozenman.

1:46 pm

Ben Gvir mulls quitting the government if overhaul halted; may back it from outside

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023 (AP Photo/Maya Alerruzzo)

A source close to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir says that the far-right leader is “considering, generally,” quitting the government as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to freeze the coalition’s legislation curbing the judiciary.

Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party has said that stopping the judicial overhaul push now is “likely” to topple the coalition, but a spokesman for the party declines to say whether Otzma Yehudit itself will pull out.

According to some reports, while Ben Gvir is mulling quitting the coalition, his party could still support the government from the outside.

1:26 pm

Stores, banks begin to close their doors as they join nationwide strike

Israelis protest outside the Knesset government's planned judicial overhaul, in Jerusalem on March 27, 2023 (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

Stores in malls around the country begin to shut down as part of the open-ended nationwide strike against the judicial overhaul.

In addition, banks have said they are starting to close branches.

Local councils have also joined the labor action, but schools and kindergartens will stay open for the rest of the day in an attempt to minimize disruption for parents.

While today marks the final day of studies before the Passover break, day camps operated in schools and kindergartens will not open their doors tomorrow morning.

There is already disruption at Ben Gurion Airport after the workers union said it was halting departures.

1:15 pm

Levin says will ‘respect’ PM’s decision on overhaul, but warns delay endangers coalition

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with Justice Minister Yariv Levin, in the Knesset on February 22, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/ Flash90)

Justice Minister Yariv Levin announces that he will “respect” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s expected decision on how to progress with judicial overhaul, but warns that its delay will endanger their political coalition.

Levin has led the coalition’s planned reform of the judicial system, and claims that stopping it now “may immediately lead to the fall of the government and the collapse of Likud,” his and Netanyahu’s right-wing party.

“We must all make an effort to stabilize the government and the coalition,” he says.

Several Likud members have said they would stand behind Netanyahu, as have his ultra-Orthodox partners Shas and United Torah Judaism. Far-right Otzma Yehudit has been more aggressive in the push to continue legislating.

1:03 pm

Protesters told not to use Hashalom train station tonight amid fears of violence from far-right group

File: Members of La Familia group protest against the intention of Beitar owner Moshe Hogeg to sell a percentage of the group to a member of the United Arab Emirates royalty, at Beitar Jerusalem's training grounds in Jerusalem on December 4, 2020. (Flash90)

Protest leaders warn demonstrators returning to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem this evening not to use the Hashalom train station amid fears of violence from a far-right group.

“We are telling the protesters not to go there or make contact with them,” the umbrella group of protest organizations says in a statement.

La Familia, a group of far-right supporters of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team that has a history of racism and violence, has announced that it will be gathering at the Tel Aviv interchange, a central rallying point for anti-overhaul protests.

“Until now we have stayed quiet, tonight at 8 p.m. we will arrive at Kaplan,” La Familia says.

12:59 pm

Edelstein backs Gallant: In view of security situation, now is not the time to change defense minister

Likud MK Yuli Edelstein leads a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset, on February 12, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Likud MK Yuli Edelstein gives his support to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after the latter was fired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“This morning I held a confidential discussion on the consequences of social tensions in the country on the security system,” Edelstein tweets.

“The committee heard a worrying overview. In light of the information that came up in the discussion and in view of the security situation – it is clear that this is not the time to change the defense minister,” Edelstein says.

Gallant warned earlier in a closed meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Israel’s security was in danger amid the judicial overhaul legislation.

On Sunday evening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Gallant, a day after the Likud member called for pausing the advance of legislation in the government’s judicial overhaul. The move sparked mass spontaneous protests across the country overnight.

Edelstein, the head of the defense committee, has previously called for Netanyahu to halt the judicial overhaul.

12:36 pm

Protesters sing and dance at Unity Tent in Jerusalem

Protesters at a 'Unity Tent' in Jerusalem amid demonstrations against the judicial overhaul, March 27, 2023 (Carrie Keller-Lynn/Times of Israel)

Taking a pause from protesting in Jerusalem, a number of people gather at the Unity Tent, singing religious songs and dancing together.

One female protester breaks down in quiet tears.

Another secular protester walks away after a song finishes, saying to herself, “The redemption will come from here.”

Matti Schik, 58, also had a tear rolling down his face watching the scene, organized by a group of liberal religious Zionist Jews who argue for national cohesion as a first principle.

“When I was a child ‘peace’ was a nice word, until it was turned into a curse word associated with the left,” he says. “And we see the principle of democracy undergoing a similar process.”

Schik, who is religious, says that he respects what the group is doing. Holding a protest sign recalling his late grandfather’s memory, Schik says “he would have died again seeing what is happening here today.”

“From here the redemption will come,” says a secular female protester, leaving the Unity Tent

Sandwiched among the burgeoning demonstration, this religous zionist outpost calls for national unity above all else pic.twitter.com/V3pI89ABHe

— Carrie Keller-Lynn (@cjkeller8) March 27, 2023

12:31 pm

Thousands rally in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Haifa against judicial overhaul

Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's judicial overhaul plan outside the parliament in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Thousands of people begin to gather outside the Knesset in Jerusalem and in central Tel Aviv, as protests against the judicial overhaul show no sign of abating.

Trains to Jerusalem are packed as demonstrators from around the country head toward the capital for the central protest, set to kick off at 2 p.m.

Entrance to Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway is yet again blocked at Hashalom interchange.

In addition, thousands are rallying in Haifa, according to the Kan public broadcaster.

מפגינים עכשיו בקפלן

צילום: עמית בונאנו pic.twitter.com/471OL26EBD

— ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) March 27, 2023

12:28 pm

McDonald’s announces it will join the strike against the judicial overhaul

A woman standing under a McDonald's sign in central Jerusalem, February 2, 2023 (Nati Shohat/Flash90)

The McDonald’s chain in Israel announces that it is also joining the strike and closing its branches nationwide starting at noon.

The chain operates around 200 stores across Israel — both kosher and non-kosher — and is the largest burger franchise in the country.

McDonald's in Israel has joined the general strike pic.twitter.com/GIsNMTQzz6

— Amy Spiro (@AmySpiro) March 27, 2023

12:23 pm

WATCH: Netanyahu in weekend interview: Overhaul necessary as Supreme Court ‘too powerful’

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leaves 10 Downing Street after a meeting with Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London, March 24, 2023.(AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)

In an interview airing today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists the overhaul is necessary as the Supreme Court is “too powerful.”

Netanyahu gave the interview on Saturday while in London.

“There’s a lot of tension right now and I wish it wasn’t so, but I’m quite confident that we’ll get over this difficulty, because you have to reform things that get ossified,” he says in the interview with Piers Morgan.

“There is one consideration that the critics and the opponents of the judicial reform raise, and I think it’s a valid concern and that is you want to go from one extreme to the center. You don’t want the pendulum to swing to the other side where the Knesset, our Parliament, can nullify any decision of the Supreme Court and I think that requires a balance. I agree with that,” he says.

While Netanyahu has gone on a blitz of international media over the past few months, attempting to explain the overhaul, he has notably not given interviews to Israeli media.

12:08 pm

Anti-overhaul protesters block Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway

View of the Ayalon highway in Tel Aviv after protests against the judicial overhaul, on March 27, 2023 (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The northbound Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv is blocked by protesters.

The thoroughfare was blocked for a number of hours overnight by demonstrators after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a day after the minister called on the government to stop its legislative efforts to upend the judiciary.

The spontaneous protests went on for hours overnight, from the time the announcement came through from the Prime Minister’s Office that Gallant was fired around 10 p.m. Sunday to almost 4 a.m. Monday morning.

Ayalon highway #TelAviv

27.03.2023 00:04 #TelAviv #protest #bonfire pic.twitter.com/Q3VPkSiuHW

— Thomas Schlijper תומאס סלייפר (@schlijperisrael) March 26, 2023

12:01 pm

Barkat: Coalition must unite behind PM

Economy Minister Nir Barkat speaks during a conference in Haifa, March 21, 2023. (Shir Torem/Flash90)

Economy Minister Nir Barkat calls for coalition parties to unite behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s expected call to halt the overhaul legislation.

Barkat says it is important the events do not bring down the coalition.

“I call on all my colleagues in the government, in Likud and the partner parties in the coalition, to unite behind the prime minister and support him in stopping the legislation,” Barkat says.

“We must not bring about the overthrow of the right-wing government at our own hands. Our strength is in our unity,” he says.

The statement comes amid reports that far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has threatened to topple the coalition if the legislation is halted.

11:57 am

Rothman calls for overhaul supporters to protest; far-right La Familia to demonstrate in Tel Aviv

Beitar Jerusalem fans cheer and wave a 'La Familia' flag during a match between Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Jerusalem at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem on April 23, 2022. (Oren ben Hakoon/Flash90)

Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, one of the architects of the judicial overhaul, calls on supporters to head out to the street to protest as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to call for a halt to the controversial legislation.

“The elections will not be stolen!” he tweets. “The people demand a radical overhaul of the justice system.”

“We must not accept a situation in which there are people whose voice does not count,” Rothman says.

“Go out and return the voice – to the people,” he says, announcing a protest at Jerusalem’s Kaplan Street, opposite the Knesset, at 6 p.m.

La Familia, a group of far-right supporters of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team that has a history of racism and violence, announce that it will be gathering at the Tel Aviv interchange, a central rallying point for anti-overhaul protests.

“Until now we have stayed quiet, tonight we will arrive at Kaplan,” La Familia says.

11:35 am

Health Ministry says it respects right to protest as hospitals, medical services announce strike

By Renee Ghert-Zand

Attendees at press conference held by Histadrut chief Arnon Bar-David in Tel Aviv on March 27, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

The Health Ministry announces that it respects the right to protest.

The ministry says officials are in touch with the directors of all hospitals and health system heads to ensure that all those seeking medical services get proper care.

Officials announced they would join the nationwide strike called by Histadrut union head Arnon Bar-David. Emergency care is still expected to be provided.

11:31 am

Watchdog petitions High Court over Netanyahu’s firing of Gallant

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-immigrant absorption minister Yoav Gallant hold a press conference at the Knesset, January 9, 2019. (Noam Revkin Fenton/ Flash90/ File)

The Movement for Quality Government in Israel petitions the High Court against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Netanyahu dismissed the Gallant yesterday, a day after the minister called on the government to stop its legislative efforts to upend the judiciary.

The watchdog asks for an interim order to freeze the firing, claiming it goes against Netanyahu’s conflict of interest agreement — the deal that allows him to govern during his ongoing corruption trial.

Last week, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara told Netanyahu that his involvement in the coalition’s judicial overhaul is “illegal and tainted by a conflict of interest.”

11:18 am

Kindergartens, day camps and malls to close their doors in strike against overhaul

A view of the Azrieli buildings and the surrounding area in Tel Aviv, December 2, 2021, (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

With the announcement of the general strike, businesses and local authorities begin to announce that they are shutting down operations.

According to Hebrew-language media reports, there will be no day camps or kindergartens for young children. Schools end today for the Passover break, with many young children set to move to alternative frameworks run by local authorities.

BIG shopping centers will close their doors from midday, and the Azrieli Group says its malls will not open tomorrow.

11:17 am

Protesters pack onto trains toward Jerusalem ahead of mass rally at Knesset

People travel to the protest against the judicial overhaul in Jerusalem, March 27, 2023 (Carrie Keller-Lynn/Times of Israel)

Trains are packed with protesters, several of whom said their companies had given them the day off to go protest in Jerusalem, amid a pending nationwide strike just called by Israel’s largest labor union.

Travelers are also thrown into confusion, unsure if their flights are going to take off given the Israel Airport Authority’s participation in the strike.

Histadrut head Arnon Bar-David has announced a “historic” general strike unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calls a halt to the judicial overhaul.

Departures have already been halted at Ben Gurion Airport.

11:02 am

Local authorities say they’ll join strike: ‘Israel almost at point of no return’

Modiin Mayor and head of the national mayors union Haim Bibas speaks at a conference in Tel Aviv on February February 19, 2020. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Haim Bibas, the chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities, announces that municipalities and local councils will join the general strike along with the Histadrut labor union and medical unions.

“The rift in the people and the tremendous chaos that Israel is in has reached the point of almost no return,” says Bibas, a senior member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and the mayor of the central city of Modiin.

“We call on the prime minister to stop the legislation immediately and cancel the dismissal of the defense minister, with whom we have working relations in the field of cities’ and home front security,” he says.

The announcement comes shortly after Histadrut head Arnon Bar-David says the “historic” general strike will begin as soon as today if Netanyahu does not announce a halt to the judicial overhaul.

Departures have already been halted at Ben Gurion Airport.

10:56 am

Lapid calls on Netanyahu to reverse Gallant’s firing: ‘We have never been closer to falling apart’

Head of the Yesh Atid party MK Yair Lapid speaks during a faction meeting at the Knesset, on March 20, 2023. (Erik Marmor/ Flash90)

Opposition leader Yair Lapid calls on the prime minister to walk back his dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant after Gallant publicly called for a halt to the coalition’s legislative overhaul on the eve of part of its completion.

“Defense Minister Gallant was fired for one reason only – he was telling the truth. He did not threaten, he did not issue an ultimatum; he warned against the collapse of the people’s army in the face of a government that is trying to dismiss reality,” says Lapid, speaking at the outset of his Yesh Atid party’s Knesset faction meeting.

Lapid calls on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “cancel the dismissal.” Netanyahu has yet to send an official letter to the defense minister, which would start a 48-hour countdown to his dismissal.

Echoing Gallant, Lapid warns that “at this time, the State of Israel cannot, in the face of the risks in all arenas, afford a change of defense minister. We have never been closer to falling apart.”

The Yesh Atid head points to continued overnight protests, following Netanyahu’s evening announcement that he fired Gallant.

“What has happened in the last 24 hours is madness, it is a loss of momentum and a loss of way, it is proof that this government has lost control of the brakes,” he says, alleging that “an absolute majority of the country’s citizens have been feeling recently, and even more so in the past 24 hours, anxiety and distress. They cannot understand why the government insists on destroying everything that is dear to us and sacred to us.”

10:53 am

Shekel up against dollar amid expectations Netanyahu may stop overhaul

By Sharon Wrobel

The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, December 25, 2018. (Adam Shuldman/Flash90)

Israel’s shekel appreciates more than 1% against the US dollar and shares rose amid cautious expectations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is poised to announce a halt to the contentious judicial overhaul.

The currency is at 3.60 against the greenback in morning trading after hitting a four-year low this month as lawmakers advanced parts of the controversial judicial overhaul, to cement government control over judicial appointments and revoke the High Court’s ability to review Basic Laws.

Tel Aviv Stock Exchange’s benchmark TA-125 index increases 1.7%, and the TA-35 index of blue-chip companies rises 2%. The TA index of the five largest banks and the TA-Insurance & Financial Services are both up about 2.4%.

10:51 am

Jewish Agency head calls for halt to judicial overhaul: ‘Unprecedented national emergency’

By Canaan Lidor

Jewish Agency Chairman Doron Almog during a board of governors conference at the Orient Hotel in Jerusalem, July 10, 2022. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Jewish Agency Chairman Doron Almog joins the chorus of prominent personalities calling to halt legislation advancing the government’s judicial overhaul.

The plea is the most explicit so far by Almog, who last week joined leaders of the World Zionist Organization, the Jewish Federations of North America, and Keren Hayesod in signing a letter that expressed reservations about the overhaul but stopped short of calling for its shelving.

“Israel is in an unprecedented state of national emergency. An intensifying social rift, and a growing security threat from around us. Our people’s unity is more important than any legislation. Such legislation should come to an immediate halt,” Almog writes.

10:40 am

Departures immediately halted at Ben Gurion Airport as workers union declares strike

Travelers wait in line in the departures hall at Ben Gurion Airport on May 30, 2022. (Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90)

The head of the workers union at Ben Gurion Airport announces an immediate halt to departures, minutes after the head of the Histadrut head announces a “historic” labor strike in an attempt to “stop the madness” of the government’s controversial judicial overhaul.

“I ordered the immediate halt of takeoffs at the airport,” says Pinchas Idan.

Bar-David said the strike will begin as soon as today if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not announce a halt to the controversial judicial overhaul.

The airport workers union is the first to take action.

10:35 am

Netanyahu said to delay overhaul speech amid reports Ben Gvir threatening to topple coalition

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 22, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public statement set for 10 a.m. is delayed amid reports that the far-right parties in his coalition are threatening to break up the government if he halts the judicial overhaul.

No new time is giving for the speech, which had been expected to include an announcement of a freeze to the controversial legislation.

Channel 12 news reports that National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has threatened to quit the coalition, during a meeting of faction heads.

Unnamed Likud lawmakers tell the Walla news site that Justice Minister Yariv Levin is pressuring Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Ben Gvir to threaten Netanyahu with the dissolution of the government if the legal overhaul is stopped.

10:19 am

Histadrut labor federation announces ‘historic general strike’ if judicial overhaul not halted

Histadrut head Arnon Bar-David calls for general strike, March 27, 2023 (Screen grab)

Histadrut head Arnon Bar-David announces a “historic” labor strike in an attempt to “stop the madness” of the government’s controversial judicial overhaul.

“We are all worried about Israel’s fate,” Bar-David says. “Together we say, enough!”

“We have lost our way — this is not about left or right,” the union head says. “We can no longer polarize the nation.”

“I did everything I could over the past weeks to stop the situation,” Bar-David says, adding that the efforts were in vain.

“We are all joining hands to shut down the State of Israel,” he says. “The malls and the factories will close.”

The strike will also include the health sector.

Bar-David says the strike will begin as soon as today if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not announce a halt to the judicial overhaul.

Bar-David makes his address in a room filled with top business leaders as well as public officials including hospital heads, who often cheer and shout “De-mo-cra-cy.”

He receives a standing ovation at the end of his speech.

Bar-David has until now refrained from involving the powerful union in the demonstrations against the far-reaching proposals to curb the judiciary. Historically, Histadrut strikes over public sector wages and conditions have had profound impacts on the country and its economy.

9:58 am

Liberman calls for Likud to oust Netanyahu and Levin, and find new PM within party

Yisrael Beytenu party head Avigdor Liberman speaks at a joint press conference with opposition party leaders at the Knesset on February 13, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)

Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman says that he hopes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announces his resignation alongside his expected call to stop the overhaul legislation, but says the premier’s Likud party should find a new leader if he doesn’t.

“It turns out it works. No dictator is able to stand up to a broad and just public protest that encompasses all parts of the population,” Liberman tweets.

“I hope that as well as the halt to the legislation, we will hear about the resignation of the prime minister and justice minister,” Liberman says, referring to Justice Minister Yariv Levin, the architect of the judicial overhaul.

“If not, I call on my friends in Likud, for the benefit of the State of Israel, to oust Netanyahu and form a new coalition consisting of the Zionist parties, with the prime minister coming from the ranks of Likud,” Liberman says.

9:56 am

Committee approves judicial appointments bill for its final votes in Knesset

MK Gilad Kariv waves the Israeli flag at a Constitution Committee meeting at the Knesset on March 27, 2023 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The government’s highly controversial legislation, which heavily politicizes the Judicial Selection Committee and gives the coalition almost complete control over all judicial appointments in Israel, is approved in the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee for its final readings in the Knesset plenum.

Opposition MKs denounce committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman throughout the proceedings, shouting and interrupting the hearing as Rothman struggles to complete the voting procedure in committee in the face of the disruption.

“I turn to the hundreds of thousands of Israeli citizens who took to the streets last night and say to you ‘You are our brothers and heroes,’ thank you,” says Labor MK Gilad Kariv of the opposition.

“Know that the struggle for Israeli democracy and our home is far from being decided, and we need great strength to guarantee the resilience of Israeli democracy and the future of Zionism,” continues Kariv.

Rothman defends the bill, describing it as “a balanced and good law for all the people of Israel,” and claims that “in every democratic country, the people elect judges. The judges do not have a veto on who will enter the gates of the court and there are balancing mechanisms designed to prevent a small majority from taking over the institutions of power.”

Numerous legal scholars and experts, including the former Irish justice minister Alan Shatter on Sunday, have rejected these arguments, pointing out that even in countries such as Ireland, as well as Canada, Germany, Sweden and others where the justice minister or other cabinet officials make the final selection, candidate lists are drawn up by professional advisory boards with little to no political input.

9:33 am

Gallant: Israel’s security in danger amid judicial overhaul, rifts present opportunity to enemies

By Emanuel Fabian

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant arrives for a meeting at the Knesset on March 27, 2023 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Ousted Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warns that Israel’s security is in danger amid the judicial overhaul legislation, in leaks from a closed meeting at the Knesset’s Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee.

“According to intelligence reports, there is a clear identification of the situation being an opportunity [for our enemies] to attack Israel,” Gallant is quoted as saying by Army Radio.

“The rift in Israeli society can bring our enemies to a prime opportunity,” he says, according to Channel 12.

“The Iranians are trying to erode relations between Israel and Arab countries,” he says, according to Channel 13.

Yesterday, a senior defense official speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity said the tensions over the judicial overhaul have led to Israel being viewed “as weak” in the eye of its foes.

9:29 am

Sheba Medical Center preparing to join expected general strike

Prof. Yitshak Kreiss, the Director General of the Sheba Medical Center (Courtesy)

The Sheba Medical Center announces that it is readying to join the general strike expected to be announced by the country’s largest union.

Prof. Yitshak Kreiss, director of the Ramat Gan hospital, is set to meet with the head of the Histadrut, Arnon Bar-David.

If a strike is declared, medical teams will only treat emergency cases.

The head of the Histadrut labor federation is set to give a press conference amid growing calls to strike following the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for urging a pause to the government’s judicial overhaul.

Bar-David will deliver a “special” statement alongside business and union leaders in the coming hours.

9:05 am

Constitution committee voting to advance judicial appointments bill

MK Vladimir Beliak is removed from the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee by Knesset orderlies during a committee hearing, January 11, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee is currently voting to approve the coalition’s Judicial appointments bill for its final Knesset readings.

“After such a night, you continue with this disgrace,” says Yesh Atid MK Vladimir Beliak, shortly before being ordered out by committee chair Simcha Rothman.

Rothman opened the committee saying “we will, God willing,” bring the bill for a vote later today, and was answered by opposition shouts.

According to Army Radio, Likud MK Moshe Saada left the meeting, saying “what’s the point?”

Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators streamed into the streets across the country last night after the premier fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, after his former ally warned him that the overhaul was causing damage to Israel’s security.

There have been weekly mass protests for nearly three months against the planned legislation, and a rising wave of objections by top public figures including the president, jurists, business leaders, and more.

Opponents of the overhaul have drawn a line in the sand on the judicial appointments bill, set to advance today, saying it will politicize the court, remove key checks on governmental power and cause grievous harm to Israel’s democratic character.

8:58 am

Far-right minister: We aren’t ready to stop the judicial overhaul

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem on January 8, 2023 (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

A minister from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party says “we aren’t ready to stop the legislation.”

Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu declines to say whether his party will protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s expected announcement that he’s pausing the judicial overhaul.

“It’s giving in to political coercion,” he tells Army Radio, adding that “I think stopping the legislation is a really problematic thing.”

According to Hebrew-language media reports, the premier will announce that he is stopping the overhaul after a night of mass protests following Netanyahu’s firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

8:51 am

Netanyahu expected to announce halt to judicial overhaul

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Knesset in Jerusalem, March 22, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to announce a halt to the contentious judicial overhaul, according to multiple reports in Hebrew-language media.

The reports all cite “sources close to the prime minister,” without giving further details on any potential conditions.

According to the Kan public broadcaster, the premier will speak at 10:30 a.m. at the Knesset after marathon talks overnight with his political allies.

The move is unlikely to have the support of all members of his hardline coalition.

8:44 am

Gallant to discuss overhaul’s impact on security at Knesset panel; coalition heads to meet on next steps

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant arrives for a meeting at the Knesset on March 27, 2023 (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Freshly dismissed defense minister Yoav Gallant arrives at the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for a closed discussion on how the judicial shakeup is impacting national security.

Gallant made a public plea to pause the legislation on Saturday, arguing that the judicial overhaul was hurting Israel’s national resilience and posed a credible security threat.

Netanyahu dismissed him on Sunday, triggering unprecedented national protests overnight.

Meanwhile, coalition heads are said set to meet at 9am to discuss the national response to the defense minister’s dismissal and steps forward with their judicial overhaul.

8:31 am

Protest leaders announce mass demonstration at Knesset at 2 p.m.

Israeli students march during a protest against the Israeli government's planned judicial overhaul, in Jerusalem, March 23, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Protest leaders say that a mass demonstration will be held today at 2 p.m. outside the Knesset.

“We will not be allow any compromise that harms the independence of the Supreme Court,” they say.

The umbrella movement of a number of protest groups also calls for the immediate reinstatement of Yoav Gallant, fired yesterday by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after he said the judicial overhaul was harmful to national security.

Buses have been laid on to bring in protesters from around the country.

8:27 am

Constitution committee opens ahead of vote to send judicial appointments bill to plenum